The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where, according to an urban legend, a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Bewitchingly beautiful Bermuda is one of the few places in the modern world that still remain wrapped in an aura of superstitious mystery. The Bermuda Triangle — sometimes called the Devil’s Triangle, Limbo of the Lost, the Twilight Zone, and Hoodoo Sea — covers some 500,000 square mi of the Atlantic Ocean. Its apexes are most commonly defined as Bermuda, the southernmost tip of Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, although some place a boundary closer to Chesapeake Bay than to Miami. It seems to have been christened in February 1964, when Vincent Gaddis wrote an article titled “The Deadly Bermuda Triangle” for Argosy magazine.
Long before the myth of the Bermuda Triangle became popular, Bermuda had already earned a reputation as an enchanted island. It was nicknamed “The Devil’s Islands” by early sea travelers, frightened by the calls of cahow birds and the squeals of wild pigs that could be heard on shore. But perhaps the most damning tales were told by sailors terrified of shipwreck on Bermuda’s treacherous stretch of reefs. The island’s mystical reputation was perhaps immortalized in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a tale of shipwreck and sorcery in “the still-vexed Bermoothes.”
The early origin of the Triangle myth stretches as far back as Columbus, who noted in his logbook a haywire compass, strange lights, and a burst of flame falling into the sea. Columbus, as well as other seamen after him, also encountered a harrowing stretch of ocean now known as the Sargasso Sea. Ancient tales tell of sailboats stranded forever in a windless expanse of water, surrounded by seaweed and the remnants of other unfortunate vessels. It is true that relics have been found in the Sargasso Sea — an area of ocean in between Bermuda and the Caribbean.
Famous Incidents
Over the past 500 years, more than 50 ships and 20 airplanes have mysteriously disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, often leaving no trace- no debris, bodies, or evidence. During his first voyage to the New World (1492–1493), Christopher Columbus passed through the area. In his logbook, the navigator recorded unusual events, including a burst of fire falling into the sea and mysterious lights appearing in the distance. He also reported that his compass behaved erratically. The journey took him through the Sargasso Sea, known for its calm, windless waters and dense seaweed, where sailors often feared being stranded.
Also, William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” a play written between 1610 and 1611, describes a story of shipwreck and sorcery in what is believed to be the Bermuda Triangle.
Here are some of the most bizarre incidents in the infamous North Atlantic region:
Ellen Austin (1881)
According to legend, the 210-foot-long Ellen Austin, sailing from Liverpool to New York, encountered an abandoned “ghost ship” in the Bermuda Triangle.
The crew of the Ellen Austin attempted to take control of the mysterious ship, but a storm separated the two vessels.
When they reunited, the crew that had boarded the ghost ship had disappeared.
After a second attempt to board it, a dense fog rolled in, and when it cleared, the ghost ship had vanished entirely.
Joshua Slocum (1895)
Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail solo around the world, mysteriously disappeared while sailing from Martha’s Vineyard to South America.
Despite his extensive sailing experience, Slocum was never seen again.
His vanishing has been linked to the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle, though no evidence was ever found.
USS Cyclops (1918)
The USS Cyclops, a large Navy fuel ship carrying 309 crew members, disappeared while traveling from the Caribbean to Baltimore. The ship, which had no reported issues and was equipped with distress equipment, sent no signals for help before vanishing. Despite extensive searches, no wreckage or explanation was ever found, and the disappearance remains one of the Navy’s greatest mysteries.
“There has been no more baffling mystery in the annals of the Navy than the disappearance last March of the USS Cyclops,” Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels wrote in 1919.
USS Proteus and USS Nereus (1941)
In 1941, the Navy cargo ship USS Proteus disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle with 58 crew members while transporting ore from St. Thomas to the US East Coast. A month later, its sister ship, USS Nereus, vanished along the same route with 61 people aboard. Neither ship was ever recovered, and the cause of their disappearances remains unknown.
Flight 19 (1945)
Five TBM Avenger bombers, known as Flight 19, took off from a base in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on a routine training exercise. However, due to a malfunctioning compass and navigational errors, the planes became lost.
As they flew further into the Bermuda Triangle, radio contact was lost, and none of the aircraft were ever found.
The Navy described the incident as if the planes had “flown to Mars.”
DC-3 Flight (1948)
A DC-3 commercial aircraft with 29 passengers and two crew members disappeared 50 miles before reaching Miami. The pilot, Robert Lindquist, had radioed for landing instructions, but communication suddenly ceased, and the plane vanished without a trace.
Star Tiger (1948)
The British Avro Tudor plane “Star Tiger” vanished in the Bermuda Triangle with 25 passengers and six crew members on board.
The aircraft was never recovered, and the official investigation concluded that its fate would remain an enigma.
Star Ariel (1949)
The G-AGRE plane “Star Ariel” disappeared while flying from Bermuda to Jamaica.
The aircraft lost communication after switching frequencies over the Bermuda Triangle.
Despite clear weather, the plane and its occupants were never found.
SS Marine Sulphur Queen (1963)
The SS Marine Sulphur Queen, a tanker ship carrying molten sulfur and 39 crew members, disappeared off the coast of Florida.
After a thorough search, only small fragments of debris and life preservers were found, but the ship and its crew were never recovered.
Sylvia L. Ossa (1967)
The 590-foot cargo ship Sylvia L. Ossa, with 37 crew members aboard, vanished in the Bermuda Triangle.
Some debris, such as a lifeboat and life preservers, were recovered, but the ship itself was never located.
Irving Rivers (1978)
Irving Rivers, an experienced pilot, disappeared while flying solo to St. Thomas.
Just one mile from his destination, his signal lights vanished from radar, and despite searches, no trace of his plane was ever found.
Cessna Plane (1984)
A Cessna aircraft flying from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas disappeared from radar without issuing any distress calls.
Witnesses claimed to have seen the plane descend into the ocean, but no wreckage was ever spotted.
